


Poisoned with love

by serenityandtea



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Christmas, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-11
Updated: 2014-12-11
Packaged: 2018-03-01 02:15:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2755781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serenityandtea/pseuds/serenityandtea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hogwarts AU in which the boys organise a Secret Santa and Niall is planning on buying Harry the best damn tarts he's ever eaten. It's definitely not his fault that they end up being laced with a love potion.</p><p>  <i>“I can’t do this anymore,” Niall confesses and Louis looks at him in confusion. “Harry. I can’t do it anymore. It’s driving me mad, mate. He’s been propositioning me constantly and this morning I had his stiffie pressed against me arse. I can’t do this, Lou!"</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Poisoned with love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [runawaymind](https://archiveofourown.org/users/runawaymind/gifts).



> for runawaymind. Absolutely loved writing this prompt (Hogwarts!) and I hope you enjoy this as well!
> 
> Thanks to Zee for beta-ing and holding my hand along the way. Any and all mistakes left are my own. 
> 
> Please do not read if you are, or know, any of the people in this piece of _fiction_.

*

They’re all cuddled up in the Slytherin common room, the fireplace blazing in front of them. Harry’s head is in Louis’ lap with Zayn resting his head on his chest, his fingers absentmindedly tracing patterns in on Louis’ hand, who’s slumped against Liam. Liam’s got his hands in Zayn’s hair, frequently tugging on some loose strands and Niall himself got Louis’ feet in his lap. A normal evening, really.

“Let’s do a Secret Santa.”

Niall stares blankly at Liam. There’s some vague recollection somewhere in his brain _who_ Santa is, but he’s pretty sure he’s never come across the term Secret Santa before. Louis and Zayn look confused as well -it’s obvious they haven’t got a clue- and even Harry’s got a puzzled look on his face. It has to be some Muggle kind of thing, if even Harry doesn’t know about it.

“It’s a Christmas thing,” Liam sighs exasperated, and Niall can see Harry’s ears perk up. “Everybody writes down their name on a piece of paper and adds some stuff that they’d like for Christmas, and then you put all the names in a hat or something, shuffle things around a bit, pick a name and then you have to buy a Christmas present for whoever you pick. Simple, really.”

Harry is now nodding excitedly. “It’s obviously a secret, right, Liam?”

“Yes, Harry, of course it’s secret,” Louis scoffs from above the boy. “That’s why it’s called Secret Santa. Still no bloody clue who Santa is, but I’m thinking we should go for it. Do it properly for our last year together.”

Zayn looks quite convinced as well, and Niall has to admit that it's not that bad of a plan. Normally they stick to buying everyone one present but after five years of giving Zayn a talking mirror, and buying Louis a pair of socks just for a laugh, it gets pretty boring. On the other hand, he usually gets an insane amount of candy from all of the boys, an it’d be a shame if he doesn’t this year. 

“Everybody in then?” Liam asks and they all nod in agreement. Nobody really moves after that and all eyes shift to Louis.

“What?”

“Seriously?” Zayn exclaims. “We’re in your common room. Go get some parchment and a quill and let’s get this thing over with. I want to know who I’m going to be spending a ridiculous amount of Galleons on this year.”

They get on with it, and at the end of the night Niall is tightly clutching a frayed scrap that just notes a simple ‘Harry’. He has a feeling this is going to be the best Christmas at Hogwarts ever.

*

The thing with Harry’s list is that it’s specific. Incredibly specific. Out of the six items on there, Niall only recognises two of them. Liam would probably not even blink reading them -him being a Muggleborn and Harry being half-blood - but Niall grew up in a wizard household and has never heard of iTunes, let alone an iTunes gift card. The other two things though -tarts from that one shop in Hogsmeade and a new Christmas jumper- he can probably manage. He’s done the Christmas jumper for the last four years though, so this year it’ll have to be the tarts. Niall’s pretty confident that he knows the shop Harry means, and he’s going to buy him the best tarts he’s ever tasted, hands down.

*

The morning of Christmas Eve, they’re all sitting down at the Hufflepuff table, happily munching on their last breakfast together before Zayn, Liam and Louis leave for the holidays. Harry and Niall are staying at the castle this year –Harry’s parents taking skiing trip with just his sister, and Niall hasn’t been home for the Christmas holidays in _years_ \- and this morning they’d all woken up with a pile of gifts at the end of their bed, including their Secret Santa one. It’s not even proper Christmas yet, but Zayn had pushed long enough that they’d moved it a day earlier so that everybody would be around to guess their Secret Santa. Niall can’t complain now that he’s one kilo bag of assorted sweets richer.

Harry certainly looks happy with his dozen tarts –all in different flavours, of course. Zayn smells like some new perfume –that Liam picked, Niall knows for sure-, and Louis is sporting his new Manchester United football shirt. Niall still thinks it’s kinda strange that a Quidditch Captain is more into football than Quidditch but ever since Liam introduced him to the sport in their second year (Louis being pureblood), he’s been hooked. Liam is reading some comic book that someone has bewitched –Niall knows it’s Louis and he doesn’t even know why they’re doing a Secret Santa when nobody can keep a bloody secret- to make everybody move across the pages, and he has never looked happier at breakfast.

“How many have you had already?” Louis inquires when Harry starts on another one of his tarts; this time a pumpkin tart with walnut streusel.

“Six. They’re really good!”

“Six?!” Louis exclaims and Liam tries to shush him when other students start staring.

“Yes?” Harry asked confused. “Should I not have?”

“You ate six of them this morning?” Louis presses and Niall notices that he’s starting to look a bit frantic.

“What’s wrong with Haz liking his present?” he asks Louis tightly. Harry likes his present, his present, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. If he wants to eat all twelve of them in one go, he should.

“No. Nothing. I just think that maybe Hazza here should slow down a bit, yeah? You know, save some for tomorrow?”

“But they won’t taste as good tomorrow,” Harry pouts and Niall agrees with him. They’re best eaten just bought and Louis should know this by now.

Zayn sighs resigned next to him and everybody falls silent. “What did you do, Lou?”

There’s some intense staring down going on at the table: Zayn simply raising his eyebrows and Louis staring back defiantly. In the end, Louis cracks.

“Fine,” he huffs and he moves closer to Zayn. Niall has to lean over the table to be able to hear anything. Harry’s still eating his pumpkin tart, eyes closed in bliss, and Liam is smiling at him from across the table. “I might have slipped a love potion in there.”

Niall is sure his heart stopped beating, and Zayn is staring open-mouthed at Louis.

“You did what?” Niall hisses and he’s this close to hitting Louis. “I thought you were my best mate? Why’d you slip him a love potion? In me tarts?” Screw it being a secret. “How did you even do it? And like, couldn’t you get your own bloody present and make ‘im fall in love with you in a way that doesn’t involve-”

“I did it for you, you idiot!” Louis hisses right back at him and Niall stops in his tracks.

Zayn gasps from his place and Louis glowers at him. “Tell me you didn’t, Lou.”

“I did! I got so sick and tired of these two fucking pining over each other for the past two years, so I made a love potion with Niall’s hair in it and asked one of the house elves to inject it in the tarts ‘cause I told them it would make them taste better and seriously, I figured out who’s gotten who the second we picked a piece of parchment. All your poker faces are shit.”

Niall feels the blood drain from his face, and he quickly checks to see if Harry’s paying any attention. He isn’t.

“I’m not pining!”

“Yes, you are,” Zayn remarks and well... he might be. But it’s the good kind of pining, he likes to think. The one where he knows that he’ll never end up with someone like Harry but it’s still nice to think about when he’s all alone in bed sometimes.

“I don’t care! That doesn’t mean that this arsehole should drug my presents! What’s gonna happen to him now, hu? Did you really put it in all of the tarts? Why would you? What’s gonna happen when he’s eaten so many? Will he be alright?” To say he’s near hysterics would be an underestimation.

“Well,” Louis starts. “I thought he’d only eat one, so I thought I’d double my chances and just, you know, put it in all of them. I’ve never heard somebody overdosing on love potion so I think he’ll be alright. Apart from the fact that he’ll obviously fall madly in love with you instead of just being mildly infatuated...”

Niall throws another quick look at Harry who’s finished his tart and is now in a heated conversation with Liam and Perrie who’s sitting next to him. He doesn’t look like he’s madly in love with Niall, to be honest.

“Why isn’t it working yet?”

Zayn lets out a soft laugh and Louis shrugs. “I used some sort of like potion that’s supposed to slow the whole progress down? Or like, Jesy made it, so that we wouldn’t be here when it starts working. That’s something I don’t wish to see.”

“You’re the worst mate ever,” Niall grumbles. He can see various flaws in Louis’ plan, knows that Zayn is aware of them as well by the way he’s frowning, and Niall’s almost thinking about packing his bags as well and letting Harry behind but he’s the brave Gryffindor. He can’t. Not when he has no idea what’s going to happen once the potion does its magic.

“Maybe it’s fate,” Zayn winks at him and Niall hisses a low ‘traitor’ back at him.

“You’ll love me in the end, Nialler,” Louis says smug but Niall has his doubts. He doesn’t say another word as he shuffles closer to Liam and finishes his breakfast. Harry’s tarts really do look quite tasty form this point of view. Who knows what would happen if he were to steal a bite. Would he fall in love with himself? Oh Merlin, what if he became like Zayn and has to stare in mirror constantly because of his own perfection? Better not try those tarts, then.

*

When he wakes up the next morning, he opens his eyes and lets out a manly, startled scream. A pair of green eyes are staring deep into his, while a hand is softly caressing his hair, and Niall is going to kill Louis when he gets back in a fortnight.

“Don’t scream, it’s only me,” Harry whispers to him, his nose dangerously close to Niall’s. He wills his heart to slow down and he takes a few deep breaths.

“I’m sorry, Haz. Can ya maybe move a bit back, though?”

Harry’s lip starts to tremble and Niall isn’t prepared for waterfalls, doesn’t know how to deal with a crying Harry, so he quickly adds, “Just so I can see your lovely face a bit better, yeah?”

That seems to cheer the other boy right up, and he scoots a little backwards. There’s a big grin on his face, eyes all sparkling in the soft sunlight that’s coming through one of the windows and through the curtains of his four poster. The sparkling has a weird gleam to it though, and Niall knows that Harry’s completely gone. For him, apparently.

“Do I look pretty?” Harry asks and Niall blushes. To him, Harry always looks fucking gorgeous, whether it’s eight in the morning or ten in the evening. He’s been thinking that since third year but it’s weird to say it out loud suddenly.

“Yeah,” he says croaky and softly tucks a stray curl behind Harry’s ear. “The prettiest.”

The smile on Harry’s face is so big that it Niall’s heart jumps a bit and Harry cuddles up close to him again. A hand starts making its way under the covers and Niall stills.

“What are you doing?” he hisses, grabbing Harry’s hand in his.

“Don’t you want me? Wanna make you feel good,” Harry whispers and no, no, no. Niall does, that’s not the problem at all, but he doesn’t when Harry’s too fucking gone to think for himself.

“Maybe we should have some breakfast first?” he starts unsure, keeping a close watch of Harry’s face for any sign of distress. “I think it’s incredibly sexy when a man really enjoys his brekkie at Christmas, you know?”

The Hufflepuff nods earnestly at him, and within a few seconds he has gotten of the bed and into a pair of joggers. Niall follows him obediently, not wanting to get Harry on the verge of tears again, and when Harry tugs on his hand and doesn’t let go once they enter the Great Hall, he just rolls with it. 

*

The rest of the day continues in the same fashion, Harry touching him whenever and wherever he can, and Niall is more than prepared to floo to bloody Doncaster and kill Louis with his bare hands. No wand needed. From what he’s actually picked up in class, love potions usually last up to twenty-four hours. He’s not sure how many of those tarts Harry devoured yesterday but he’s positive he’s had at least seven, and if that means that he has to deal with Harry as a love-sick puppy another seven days, he might contemplate jumping of the Astronomy tower before the week has finished.

He loves Harry. He really does. As Louis so eloquently put it, he’s been pining after him since third year and maybe even long before that. He’d never felt the need to change that, though; perfectly content with his status as best mate. He figures that as long as Harry is content, he’s happy; do what you love and all that stuff. Even if that means that Harry is slowly fucking his way through the student body at Hogwarts and he hasn’t had a go yet.

Right now though, his patience is wearing thin. Harry’s always been a touchy-feely person but this is taking it to the extreme. Since breakfast, he’s had four propositions for a quick blowie in the Hufflepuff common room, twenty attempts to snog his face off, and twelve inappropriately placed hands on his thighs. To his knowledge, a love potion only makes feelings stronger and doesn’t result in unwanted sexual advances, but Harry’s always been a bit different so Niall should probably just roll with it.

They’re both in the Gryffindor common room, playing a game of chess, completely stuffed from Christmas dinner. Harry’s not letting him out of his sight. Jade came over a while ago wishing them both a merry Christmas, and when she’d touched his arm, Harry literally growled. The girl had looked taken aback, apologised profusely and slowly walked out again. It would have been funny, if Harry hadn’t been drugged, but he is and Niall is at loss what to do.

The easiest thing would be to find an antidote and somehow get Harry to take it. There are only two flaws to that plan: he’s not asking a teacher for a bezoar -because the last thing he wants to do is have to explain and get Louis into trouble (alright, maybe just a small part of him does)- and he has no clue how to brew the antidote himself. He’s completely rubbish at potions and he’s sure Louis knew that as well when he conducted his plan.

“Cupcake?” Harry asks and that’s another thing: all these horrible pet names that Niall has to deal with. He was fine with ‘Ni’, he isn’t so sure about ‘cupcake’.

“Yeah, love?”

“Want you to fuck me in front on the fireplace. Can we, please?” Niall chokes on his own saliva and accidently shoves some chess pieces off the board.

“I don’t think we should, H,” he says carefully.

“But it would be so romantic!” Harry whines and in any other situation Niall would probably agree. Right now though, he can’t think anything would be romantic about having sex with his best friend while drugged.

“Maybe another time, yeah?”

“You don’t want me?” It’s Harry’s standard response when Niall’s lets him down, and it’s getting harder and harder to refuse those heartbreaking green eyes anything.

“Of course I want you, love,” he soothes the other boy. “I just think that maybe we should wait until after we’re properly married. That’d be real romantic, don’t you agree?”

“We’re gonna get married?” Harry breathes and Niall can feel his ears turn red. He’s been making up excuses all day long; trying to let Harry down gently and not have him burst into tears every five minutes (he’d failed twice). It’s been ‘maybe after dinner?’ and ‘we should finish this game first’ for the whole day but this has been by far his most stupid one.

“Of course we are. And all the boys are going to be invited and your mum and me ma and we’re gonna have a bril time, Haz.”

“Oh.” Harry has this far-away look on his face, his fingers toying with Niall’s over the chessboard, and if Niall’s heart is just beating that tad bit faster in his chest then that’s completely normal.

“D’ya want to cuddle for a bit?” Niall asks and Harry immediately abandons his side of the chessboard. Niall scoots a little bit closer to the couch, resting his back against it, and Harry cuddles up under his arm. They used to do this all the time, just casually curling up in front of the fireplace, all five of them with their limbs entangled. It feels good with just the two of them though, Harry’s curls tickling his ear and Niall’s hand on Harry’s shoulder.

They stay like for the rest of the evening, enjoying the peacefulness of having a whole common room for themselves. Apart from Jade and him, there’s not a Gryffindor left for Christmas and it’s quiet for a change. When they go to bed that evening, Harry trails after him like a lost puppy and Niall doesn’t have the heart to send him to his own common room.

*

It’s bright and early the next morning and Niall finds himself on his knees in front of the fireplace. Harry’s still asleep in his bed, his curls sprawled all out over Niall’s pillow, his limbs literally everywhere, and Niall had had a hard time trying to detangle himself from the other boy.

He throws a bit of Floo Powder in the smouldering flames and watches them turn green. He closes his eyes, tries to articulate as clearly as possible and dives in. He’s careful with sticking his head in them –still a bit weary of the flames because it might be magic, but it’s still fire- and when he opens his eyes again, he’s met with an almost empty living room. Apart from Lottie Tomlinson on a sofa.

“Niall, hi!” Lottie says from the couch when she notices him.

“Hi Lots! Have a good Christmas?”

“The best. You wouldn’t believe the shit the twins got into this year. It’s like it gets worse every year...” Lottie proudly says, crunching on some cereal.

“As long as they had fun...” Niall says cheerfully, the flames tickling around his face. “Listen, is Tommo around?”

“Aw, you didn’t pop around to talk to me then?” she pouts at him. “I think he’s still asleep, should I wake him up?”

“Please.”

“Alright, I’ll see what I can do!” Lottie moves of the sofa and disappears behind a door on the left.

It takes a while, Niall’s knee starting to hurt a bit from where he’s sitting on the carpet. He’s not leaving until he has talked to Louis though, so he supposes he just has to deal with it. Ten minutes later, Louis finally makes his way into the room, his hair tousled in every direction, bare chested with his sweatpants riding low on his hips.

“Horan,” he grunts. “What the fuck do you want on eight a.m. the morning after Christmas?”

“I can’t do this anymore,” Niall confesses and Louis looks at him in confusion. “Harry. I can’t do it anymore. It’s driving me mad, mate. He’s been propositioning me constantly and this morning I had his stiffie pressed against me arse. I can’t do this, Lou!”

“But isn’t this what you wanted?” Louis asks in confusion and plops down in front the fireplace.

“No! No, it’s what you wanted. I was fine with him being my mate. He’s Harry, you know. Can’t tie him down, even if I wanted.”

“Oh.” Louis says, his voice small.

“It’s fine, Tommo.” Niall sighs. “I’m just not sure I can handle another five or six days of this... I thought love potions would be like, smouldering looks and eye-gazing and talking about puppies and stuff like that but it’s more like asking me every hour if I want my cock in his mouth.”

“Our Harold would never do such thing,” Louis says indignant, his eyes twinkling.

“He definitely would and he definitely does,” Niall sighs.

“So take him up on his offer! Get it out of his system, maybe that would help.”

“I’m not doing that!” Niall squeaks.

“You’d make a terrible Slytherin.” Louis chastens him.

“That’s why I’m a Gryffindor, remember? I’m like, brave instead of cunning.”

“Be brave and let Harry blow you, then. I bet he would be amazing with that mouth of his...”

“There’s just no use talking to you, is there?” Niall sighs and Louis grins at him in return.

“No can do, Nialler. You go back to your man, have him rub off all over you, and then maybe he’ll be back to normal tomorrow.”

“And if he isn’t?” Niall asks, already afraid of the answer.

“Then you try it again, and again, and again, until he’s our Hazza again and you two have fallen madly in love.”

Louis got a enormous grin on his face, looking like a kid who just found dozens of presents under the Christmas tree, and Niall grins back at him; loves seeing him like this, loves having a best mate like Louis, until he remembers that it’s his fault he’s even in this situation, and his face turns grim again.

“I can see several flaws in this plan, you know,” Niall says sourly. “The biggest one being that Harry probably won’t even remember most of this if he’s himself again, or he will be so embarrassed and angry that he’ll never talk to us again.”

“Pfff. Harry loves us,” Louis says confidently. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going back to bed because, unlike some, I need my beauty sleep and six hours isn’t cutting it. Good morning Niall, and the best of luck to you.”

He’s quick to get on his feet and a few seconds later there’s the unmistakable sound of feet on the stairs. When even Lottie doesn’t return from the kitchen, Niall removes his head from the fireplace and falls back on the carpet.

It’s going to be another long, long day.

*

Weirdly enough, when Harry wakes up it’s more of a let-me-stare-longingly-at-you kind of day than a let-me-rip-your-clothes-off day, and Niall mentally does a little victory. It’s a little creepy, catching Harry looking at him while he’s stuffing his mouth with sausages at breakfast but it’s better than having his wandering hands all over him so he’s going to take whatever he gets. Or doesn’t get, really.

It does get kind of creepy at the end of the day. Harry’s been keeping his distance, at least three feet between the two of them instead of the three inches like yesterday, and when they arrive back at the Hufflepuff common room after breakfast, he kind of disappears after giving Niall a loud kiss on his cheek. Niall’s a bit confused to where he’s off to, but figures that Harry will turn up again pretty soon, if yesterday was anything to go by.

It’s an hour later and he’s doing his Transfiguration homework –Zayn would be so proud of him if he knew- at one of the tables. He’s been struggling with this for ages -he has no clue how to turn a freaking frog into a inanimate object- and he’s desperate to finish this before the end of the day. There’s a slight chance of snow falling tonight and he’s not going to miss an epic snowball battle just because he was too lazy to do his homework.

“Niall?” Harry’s voice is soft, and when Niall looks up he’s got both his hands behind his back, obviously hiding something.

“Yes?” Niall carefully cages his frog.

“I made you something.”

Niall almost groans, but catches himself right on time and puts a smile on his face instead.

“Really, what did you make?”

Harry strolls over to him, careful not to let Niall peek, and then he drops himself down in Niall’s lap when he’s close enough. He’s basically straddling the other boy, both legs on either side of Niall’s, and his face close enough that Harry can probably count his freckles if he wanted. Niall can definitely count his.

“A scarf!” Harry beams at him, and before Niall knows it there’s something wrapped around his throat. Colour coordination is obviously not something that Harry’s familiar with, because when he looks down, he can see various stripes and patterns in almost every colour to exist.

“Thanks, H,” Niall says carefully. “That’s really... Thoughtful of you.”

“You look good in it,” Harry says softly and when Niall looks back up from the scarf, Harry’s suddenly even closer. His eyes are a bit glazed over –probably a side effect from the love potion, Niall suspects- but they’re still so green and they’re exactly the same eyes he sees in his dreams sometimes. Harry’s head is moving though, and before Niall is even aware of what he’s doing, he has his hands on Harry’s chest, pushing the boy away from him.

“We can’t.”

Harry’s face goes from happy to heartbroken in a few simple seconds and Niall can feel his own heart break as well. Just a little bit though.

Harry’s quick to get up on his feet, and when Niall gives him a good look, he notices the tears in his eyes. “Don’t you want me?”

It’s the same conversation they’ve been having over and over the past two days but now Niall just wants to get down on his knees and confess that yes, he does want him, and has wanted him for ages but he also knows that this is not the right time (and there probably never will be).

“Harry...”

“Don’t you love me?” He’s honest-to-God crying now and Niall can’t wait until Louis comes back and he can hit something.

“Of course I love you,” Niall scoffs. Apparently he’s been so obvious that everybody and their mum can see that he’s arse over teakettle.

“Because I love you,” Harry whines and Niall’s heart freezes.

“Haz, listen carefully to me, alright?” he says softly and he motions the boy a bit closer. Harry takes a few hesitant steps before his knees knock against Niall’s. “I know you think you love me right now, but let’s just sleep on it for a night” –or five- “and if you still love me then, we can work something out, okay?”

“You’ll kiss me then?” Harry looks a bit more hopeful.

“I’ll kiss you then,” Niall isn’t going to hold himself to that promise. He isn’t sure the details of how love potions work but Harry is likely not to remember anything after the effect has worn off. Hopefully.

Harry’s smile is huge and if Niall believed in clichés, he might say that it’s lighting up the whole room. He doesn’t, so he keeps his comment to himself, and watches how Harry practically skips into his dorm, whistling something under his breath. Niall goes back to his Transfiguration work and after five minutes he hopes that Liam is back soon because this shit is hard.

That evening, Harry still refuses to go to his own bed, stating that it’s too quiet in his own dorm and that he likes to cuddle up next to Niall. Niall lets him for a second night, and when Harry gets next to him under the covers, he shoots up a quick prayer for the fact that it’s December and that it’s even too cold for Harry to sleep naked. The other boy cuddles up right next to him with his arm thrown over Niall’s torso and face pressed into his neck. Surprisingly, it only takes Niall a few breaths before he’s sound asleep.

*

There’s a hand nudging his shoulder, a whisper soft in his ear, the following morning.

“Whaddup?” Niall grumbles and he slaps a bit at the hand poking him in the shoulder.

“I still love you,” Harry sounds ecstatic and Niall groans. Great.

“That’s lovely, Harry. Let’s just sleep a bit more, okay?”

He feels another body plopping down beside him, the bed dipping and a warmth is snuggling up next to him. “Do you want me to fluff your pillow?”

“M’good.”

“Let me fluff your pillow.”

Niall rolls over with a groan and wishes it was January already so he can have his best friend back and not this loved-up replacement.

*

"What do you like more? Red or blue?”

They’re in the Ravenclaw common room this time –Merlin knows why, now that Zayn’s not even here- and they’re sitting on a sofa; Niall propped against one of the rests with Harry between his thighs, his back pressed against Niall’s front. Niall’s been drifting in and out of sleep, Harry rambling about one thing or another to some Ravenclaw girl who also stayed for the holidays. Niall is kind of surprised by how many Ravenclaws are actually staying, at least six present at the moment, and wonders why.

“Make him a blue one, Harry,” Greg James pipes up somewhere behind them and Niall lazily raises his middle finger. When he opens his eyes a bit, he can see Harry tapping his wand to his bawl of yarn, turning it blue.

“I’m not a bloody Ravenclaw, Hazza. Make it red.” Another tap and the yarn turns red.

“You’ve got him fucking whipped, Horan,” Greg snorts and Niall wants to tell him how much that is true at this particular moment but he doesn’t want to cause Louis any trouble. Greg is a Head Boy after all.

“Don’t I know it,” he mumbles in reply. He tangles one of his hands in Harry’s hair and plays a bit with the soft curls at his nape. It’s only five minutes of quietness later that he realizes he has absolutely no idea what Harry’s making and that he looks ridiculous in red.

*

It’s the fifth day and nothing has really changed so far. Niall thinks that Harry’s affections have lessened a bit, but that could just be his imagination or strong will. It’s New Years Eve tonight and Niall’s already slightly dreading what’s coming at midnight. Maybe if he hopes hard enough, the effects will wear off right before it.

“Do you want a bite of my mince pie?” Harry asks from next to him.

They’re supposed to be at breakfast in the Great Hall but instead Harry convinced one of the house elves to serve them in the Gryffindor common room, and like the other days, it’s just the two of them.

“No, thanks,” Niall replies and he doesn’t miss the hurt look that passes Harry’s face.

“Okay,” Harry says in a small voice.

Niall sighs. He pushes his food to the side before standing up and holding out his hands to Harry. The Hufflepuff looks confused but still grabs them and Niall tugs him right up.

“Wanna go outside and fuck around in the snow a bit?”

Harry’s eyes get huge and a smile is attempting to take over his face. Then, Niall realises what he just said.

“No! No, I meant like, throwing snowballs and stuff,” he explains. “Not like- actual fucking.”

The smile dims a bit, but the other boy still nods and leads them to the dorms to grab their coats and all the other winter accessories.

*

Niall should have known that everything would come around and bite him in the arse. It’s five minutes to midnight and he’s sitting on a sofa in the Great Hall, one leg propped up on Harry’s lap, the other one resting on the floor. He should have known that having a snowball fight with the rest of the remaining student body of Hogwarts would result in him being injured and having Harry taking care of him.

Louis is to blame again, honestly. If he hadn’t pushed Niall of a moving staircase in Niall’s fourth year and Louis’ fifth, Niall’s knee wouldn’t have been so fucked up and he wouldn’t have dropped screaming on the ground when Harry jumped on his back and Niall had slipped in the snow.

Madame Dezeus had patched him right back up again, but Harry kept insisting that he should just sit still and let Harry take care of him. Which normally wouldn’t have been so bad, but now Harry’s constantly brining him beverages from the table that are non-alcoholic and he’s rubbing his big paws up and down Niall’s knee and leg. He could really use some of that spiked punch right now.

“Does it hurt anywhere?” Harry asks him quietly and Niall shakes his head.

“No, I’m fine. Honestly.”

Harry doesn’t look too convinced but instead of reprimanding Niall he just turns his head to the big clock that’s counting down. There are more people settling around them –about thirty and that’s the most Niall has ever seen in his six years- and they all look somewhat ecstatic for the new year to begin.

“Ten-!” Their Headmaster begins and Niall throws a quick look at Harry, who’s staring at him with adoration in his eyes. Fuck.

“Nine-!” Niall tries to shuffle back a little bit, presses himself right against the rest but it somehow feels as though Harry moves right with him.

“Eight-!” Niall swallows.

“Seven-!” Harry shuffles even closer.

“Six-!” Glasses are being lifted.

“Five, four-!” Harry’s got one hand on his waist.

“Three-!” The other one is still rubbing Niall’s knee and when did it get so hot in here?

“Two-!” Harry leans in closer and Niall’s hand catches on his bicep.

“One-!” He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

“Happy New Year!”

Harry leans in closer and right when he’s brushing his lips lightly against Niall’s, Niall turns his head and Harry’s lips press against his cheek instead. He feels like a right dickhead, denying Harry something as simple as a kiss, but he’s not doing this. Not while Harry’s eyes are still glazed over and he has no idea what he’s doing.

“Happy New Year, Haz,” he whispers in the boy’s ear and he can feel him shudder next to him. Harry doesn’t seem too disappointed when he pulls back, just gives him a smile in return and Niall relaxes further into the sofa.

The rest of the evening they’re surrounded by the other students –every single one of them even more drunk than the other- and Niall takes it all in while Harry keeps rubbing his knee for him, handing him waters throughout the evening.

In all honesty, it’s not the worst New Year’s Eve that he’s had.

*

There’s an all too familiar heat pressed against Niall’s back the next morning, and an arm wrapped around his waist. Niall stretches out a bit, his hands hitting the headboard, which seems to wake the other boy up if the stirring next to him is anything to go by.

“Morning, Haz,” Niall mumbles. He’s fully expecting the arm around his waist to tighten a bit more and for Harry to press a kiss to his cheek like he’d done the previous three mornings.

What he doesn’t expect is for the other boy to go completely rigid behind him.

“’s wrong?” Niall asks and tries to turn around a bit so he can face Harry. Once he’s managed to move all his limbs, there’s a picture of pure shock on Harry’s face.

Harry’s looking at him with big green eyes, with nothing of that haziness in them like there was yesterday. He sees Harry blink a few times, completely quiet, and Niall hesitantly reaches out, tugging one of the curls behind his ears. Harry looks more focused than he has in the previous week and there’s a tiny part of Niall that just wishes that everything is over now; that everything can go back to normal.

“Niall?” Harry whispers eventually and Niall just scratches him a bit behind his ear. “What- why am I in your bed?”

He sounds scared to actually ask it, Niall’s heart breaking just a little bit, and maybe he’s found another reason to Crucio Louis as soon as he gets his arse back this afternoon. Nobody even thought of how Harry would react when he came ‘back’; not even Niall. He just figured that they could have a laugh about it, pretend it didn’t happen and just move on. Right now, he’s not so sure if that’s really going to be the case.

“Do you remember anything?” Niall asks carefully in return.

The Hufflepuff starts shaking his head but then he gasps and his eyes widen even more.

“No, tell me- that wasn’t real, was it?”

“What exactly are you referring to?” Niall pushes him, his throat closing up a bit.

“I didn’t really... flaunt all over you did I? Please tell me I didn’t. I’m so sorry Niall...”

Harry seems to slide a bit closer to the wall and no- that’s not something that Niall needs right now. Instead, he tugs at Harry’s waist, pulling him in a hug. His face is squished against Harry’s chest, and when he exhales he can see his chest hairs moving a bit. Weird.

“Hate to say that you did, Haz,” Niall whispers. He can feel Harry pulling away from him but he just tightens his arms a bit more, making it impossible for the other boy to escape.

“Did I really- tell me I didn’t offer to blow you in front of Professor Longbottom.”

Right, that had happened. “Haz, s’fine. I know you didn’t mean it, don’t worry ‘bout it.”

“Oh.” They’re breathing in perfect synchronisation, Harry’s chest lifting Niall’s every so often, and it’s not the first time they’ve done this, lying all cuddled up in bed, just the two of them but this time it somehow feels different; more significant.

“What happened?” Harry’s voice is soft around the edges with just that tad bit of emotion showing through. “How did I- why?”

“Remember that Secret Santa that Liam came up with?” He waits for Harry to nod before he explains everything from the start. How he’d pulled Harry’s name, how Louis spiked his tarts with a love potion and how Harry had been following him like lost puppy for the past week. He also emphasises that none of this had been his idea.

“But why me?” Harry asks and Niall doesn’t know how to answer without saying something like ‘because I’ve been in love with you since third year and Louis couldn’t take it anymore’.

“Maybe you should ask Lou that?” he says carefully, hand tracing the tattoos on Harry’s chest.

“Yeah. Maybe I should. God- he’s supposed to be my best friend...”

The rest of the morning is timid, Harry only talking to Niall when it’s absolutely necessary. Niall’s heart is aching, realising this thing has taken a turn for the worst instead of for the better, and so far he’s already come up with about twenty-three different scenarios of how to let Louis suffer a painful death, including but not limited to: drowning him in the Great Lake (he’s not sure if the Giant Squid would save him or not), throwing him from the Astronomy Tower (he’s pretty sure there are spells that prevent things like that) and letting him loose in the Forbidden Forest (he’s not sure that would actually kill him, more like scare him badly for a few days).

Niall should have done some more research on love potions though, he realises belatedly. He’s been convinced that Harry would have forgotten everything once the effects had worn off. Instead, the boy seems to remember every single detail apart from the fact how he got poisoned. He’s not even sure if Harry blames him for this, even after his plead of innocence, but he can draw his own conclusion from the absolute radio-silence he’s gotten so far.

They’re sitting on the front steps, awaiting the return of the others. Harry’s all bundled up in his maroon jumper, black beanie pulled over his curls, and some boots that Niall has never seen before that are probably a Christmas present from his mum. He still hasn’t really talked to Niall yet but he does get the occasional smile that Niall counts as a small victories.

The sound of wheels crushing snow breaks the silence and Niall hopes Louis is prepared for what’s awaiting him because he’s pretty sure that Harry’s not going to hold back. He isn’t either for that matter.

The first one out of the carriage is Zayn, giving them a small wave and an apologetic look. Niall knows Zayn didn’t haven’t anything to do with it, didn’t know what Louis was up to as well, but Harry looks positively livid and Niall has to hold him back.

“Go easy on Zayn, yeah?” Niall mumbles to him and even if he doesn’t get a reply, he knows Harry definitely hears him. “He didn’t do anything wrong. Liam didn’t either. Just focus on Louis.”

Maybe he’s a bit thrilled on the inside, curious about what Harry’s going to do to Louis because he’s only seen the Hufflepuff angry once, and it wasn’t pretty. (Although, Harry is kind of pretty when he's angry, Niall thinks, his cheeks all red and eyes blazing with fire).

Zayn makes room for Liam, who’s looking fairly concerned, and when Louis gets out next, all hell breaks loose.

“You snake!” Harry yells at him when he’s standing close enough and Niall hurries after him. “You absolute bastard! Why the fuck would you do that! I thought you were my best friend!” That one tugs at Niall’s heart a bit. “Why the fuck would you go behind my back like that! Do you honestly care so little for me that you’d do something like this?!”

“Hazza, babe-” Louis interrupts but Niall can already see that Harry’s not stopping for anybody. He seems to have forgotten that the rest of them are even around, Liam’s lips turning blue from where he’s standing in the snow with no coat or jumper on, and Zayn is watching the whole exchange with his hands in his pockets. Niall’s still on stand-by, hand on his wand and ready to interfere if Harry makes a move to do something he’ll regret later. He figures he’ll get his shot at Louis shortly.

“Don’t you babe me, Louis William Tomlinson!” Harry’s eyes are blazing, his wand clutched tightly in his right hand and pointed at Louis' chest. “Do you have _any_ idea what you did?! I trailed after him like he was my only water source in the desert for a week! I offered to blow him in front of a Professor! I tried to persuade him to kiss me about a dozen times! I kept fucking dreaming about him!”

“You weren’t supposed to eat them all!” Louis yells back at him, and Niall can see Zayn moving a bit closer as well from the corner of his eye. “How the fuck was I supposed to know you’d do that, eh?! Fuck, I just wanted to help you along, be a good friend!”

“You didn’t have to help me, I was doing perfectly fine-”

“Right,” Louis huffs, “Perfectly fine with doing nothing, apparently! I just thought I’d help that crush of yours a bit-”

“I fucking told you that in confidence, you twat!”

“Yes, well, maybe you shouldn’t have! Never trust a Slytherin and all that utter bullshit. Fuck, Haz, I just wanted to be a good friend and help you along a bit but it seems that even that isn’t appreciated!"

"Hazza, could you maybe-" Liam carefully starts, but Harry immediately shoots him a look that has Liam shutting up immediately.

“You can be a good friend without interfering in my non-existent love life!" He's facing Louis again and there are small sparks sprouting from his wand. Neither one of them look concerned with that though. "I told you he didn’t want something to do with me like that, and then you go and fuck that all up by doing something like this!”

“He does fucking want you, you blind idiot!” Louis yells and oh-. Are they talking about him?  
Niall gives Zayn a confused look, who just looks back at him with something that looks a lot like pity and then it dawns on him. _Oh._ Well. That does make a little bit sense.

When he tunes in again, Louis still shouting at Harry, their foreheads almost touching. “-been pining after you for years now!”

“Stop lying to me, Lou!” Harry shouts back and maybe this is the part where he should add his two cents.

“He’s-“ Niall clears his throat, “He’s not lying to you, H.”

It feels like a weight lifted off his chest after three years. Liam is full on grinning at him and even Zayn has a little smile on his face. Harry however, doesn’t even pay him that much attention and keeps staring Louis down, wand almost poking through the boy’s chest.

“Hush,” Harry hisses at him. “keep your pity to yourself.”

“Hazza, c’mon. He’s not lying. Listen to me yeah? Lou’s not lying.”

“What?” Harry sounds bewildered, grip on his wand loosening a bit.

“He’s not lying. I do want you-”

“-as a friend” Harry finishes for him.

“Oh for fucks sake!” Louis exclaims. “Haz, let the boy talk. He’s been waiting for this moment for three years and you’re not going to ruin it by opening your damn Hufflepuff mouth.” Louis turns to Niall. “You break him, I’ll break you.”

With that said, Louis steps away from the both of them, grabbing Liam and Zayn by the arm before storming inside.

“I’m not finished with you!” Harry yells at the same time as Niall shouts “Don’t think I’m not gonna give you a piece of my mind, Tommo!”

It’s silent after that, Niall not really knowing what to say and Harry just staring at him. In the end, it’s Harry that breaks the silence.

“Do you wanna walk for a bit?” he sounds almost embarrassed, his wand defeated at his side.

“I’d love to.”

There are more carriages coming in, all accompanied by loud chatter and infectious laughs but Niall doesn’t pay them any attention. Harry and him walk a bit alongside the lake, not really talking even if Niall desperately wants to. There’s so much going through his head, wondering if Louis had been right all along and he if he’d really been completely blind to the other boys advances all along.

“Did you know that a love potion effects everyone differently?” Harry asks him in a soft voice after they’ve been walking for twenty minutes. Niall shakes his head; no, not really. “It does. It’s all based on attraction and feelings that are already present. So it like depends on who the drinker is and who’s the giver but also on how attracted that person already is to the giver, you know?”

Niall shakes his head again. It’s all a bit much to take in to be honest and he’s not really sure which angle Harry’s playing here? Is he trying to let him down gently? Is he saying that he fancies the giver? Louis?

“Okay. Uhm- the reason I was so affected by the potion is because I already had these feelings for you in me, and the potion only triggered those and made me act stronger on them. But, like, if Lou had put Ed’s hair in there instead of yours, my reaction wouldn’t have been so strong to it because I like Ed but not like I like you.”

Niall thinks he gets it, he really does. “So you’ve been fancying the pants off me then? Before the love potion?” he asks with a trace of confusion but there’s hope blooming in his chest.

Harry’s cheeks turn even redder. “I mean- well. Yes?” he says a bit unsure, one hand tugging on a curl that escaped his beanie.

“Oh.” Niall replies. “That’s- good? I mean, I fancy you too? I have no bloody idea how this works.”

Harry giggles. “You’re doing great. So what. You decided to fancy me because I made you a red scarf?”

“Obviously,” Niall snorts and he bumps his shoulder into Harry’s, earning him a soft laugh. “No, but seriously. Louis was right. I’ve fancied you since like, third year? When you started growing out your limbs and suddenly became attractive or something. I have no idea what happened.”

“You know,” Harry starts, and Niall stares at him, nodding at him to continue. “You told me you’d kiss me if I’d still love you after the potion stopped working.”

Niall swallows. “I think I did, yeah.”

“So, what are you waiting for? You like me, I like you, there should be kissing involved.”

Without even properly thinking about it, Niall presses his lips against Harry’s. The other boy stiffens a bit under him but Niall’s put his hands on Harry’s hips and he immediately relaxes. Harry returns the pressure against his lips, his hand resting at the nape of Niall’s neck, and Niall tries to keep breathing. It’s just a short kiss, really, but Niall feels the electricity running through his veins, and why did he wait so long to do this?

“Been wanting to do that for ages.” Niall murmurs against the other boys lips, foreheads pressed together.

“Yeah?” Harry’s eyes are a bit dazed over. Nothing like the past week, Niall notes, but more a sort of blissed out.

“You have no idea,” Niall groans, “I’ve been wanting to press you right up against a wall this whole week, with you pretty much begging for it.”

Harry whimpers, his fingers digging in Niall’s neck. “I was so embarrassing...”

“Nah, it’s okay really. I know all your dirty fantasies now.”

“Niall!” Harry scolds and Niall grins when Harry tries to slap his arm.

“C’mon,” he says, letting go of Harry’s hips but pulling him in by the waist instead. “Let’s see if we can make Louis’ day any harder. How do you feel about PDA?”

Harry grins right back at him, arm tossed over Niall’s shoulder.

“Love it.”

**Author's Note:**

> now that authors are revealed: come say hi at my [tumblr](http://brokenpartsmightfit.tumblr.com) if you like, or if you just want to chat about Harry fluffing Niall's pillow! :)


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